My home is in your arms
by Pawprinter
Summary: [5x03 spoilers!] Bellamy and Clarke make their way back home after they escape Eligius. As they struggle to find their way back, they come to terms with their each other's survival and their reunion. ["I never thought I'd see you again." / "I know. I thought I had lost you, too." Her lips lifted the slightest bit. They still understood each other.] OR: the events post-5x03.


**Note: this fic contains spoilers for 5x03. If you don't want spoilers, please don't read until you've watched the episode!**

 **Setting: this fic is set right after the events of 5x03. Bellamy has confronted Eligius and has not fully reunited with Clarke yet.**

 **Warning: this fic contains descriptions of injuries. This includes Clarke's side injury, the aftermath of the shock collar (burns), pain, and exhaustion. There are no detailed descriptions, but please be aware that I do include injuries. If you want more details on the injuries/descriptions contained, please reach out to me. I tried my best to base my writing off how much detail that the show includes, which is why this fic is rated T. Like I mentioned, I am willing to discuss!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **My home is in your arms**

* * *

"Go." Diyoza's voice was harsh and unforgiving. Bellamy's hand twitched in the direction of Clarke's trembling form on the ground, burning to go to her. She looked so defiant, yet so pained laying in the grass. Her body was shivering - he couldn't tell if it was from the cold, the fear, or the pain. He was sure it was a combination of all. " _Did I stutter_? I told you to get out of here. Take her. _Leave_." Her cold attitude was slowly melting away, being replaced by burning hot anger.

He didn't need to be told twice. He took five steady steps forward, willing his hands not to shake by his sides. His mind was numb as he walked towards her. He didn't know what to think – he didn't know what to feel. All he knew was, only a few feet in front of him, a woman he cared about laid in the grass. He thought he lost her. He had mourned her. _But she was alive._ Bellamy was ecstatic, but he knew they weren't in the clear yet. Dozens of guns were pointed at them. Any wrong move and he would have broken his promise to Madi of saving Clarke.

Clarke had tears gathering in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She would not appear weak - not in front of the enemy. _She was so tired._ Her arms shook as she tried to push herself up from the dirt. Her muscles seemed to have turned to jelly and were unresponsive. Pain seemed to have replaced the blood in her veins – it filled every inch of her body.

McCreary reached down, clamping his rough hands around her neck one more time. She jolted and tried to pull away from his grip, but his fingers had latched into the collar around her neck, holding her in place.

"Hey!" Bellamy's gruff voice was only a few feet above her. He pushed at the mans chest before reaching down and grasping the man's forearms. He pulled her hands off of the collar. " _Don't touch her_." His voice was low, almost like a feral animal.

"Watch it." The man pushed off Bellamy's grip and stood up to his full height. He easily stood a few inches taller than him. "I can leave her collar on, if you'd prefer? It suits her." His grin was taunting, almost as if he was begging for Bellamy to do something that would grant him permission to punch him. Bellamy had the urge to snap back another comment, but he bit his tongue. Looking at Clarke's eyes, he knew that he couldn't let his emotions get in the way this time. They were so close to getting out alive. He just had to comply.

Bellamy removed his hands and held them in front of his body, showing that he meant no further harm. Without another word, McCreary bent down and wrapped his fingers around the collar around Clarke's neck. Her eyes widened and panic rose in her chest. Every muscle in her body screamed for her to lash out and to pull away. But, as his fingers grazed her neck, she had to bite back a scream of pain. It felt as if every cell in her body had caught on fire, and with each touch the flames intensified.

Bellamy's fists clenched at his sides when he realized _what_ was around her neck. It was an electric shock collar. His vison turned red and his nails dug into his skin. He couldn't begin to imagine what pain they had put Clarke through.

 _They would pay for that._

The collar clicked off and McCreary stepped back. As soon as his hands were away from Clarke's neck, Bellamy dropped to his knees beside her. The mug he had clutched in his hands fell to the ground with a muffled thud. He felt McCreary step away from them, leaving them alone, surrounded by enemies.

Bellamy quickly took in her appearance. Her hair had been cut around her chin, drawing attention to her face. Her eyes were more blue than he remembered, and her hair blonder. Her lip was cracked – he was sure it was from screaming. Black blood dribbled out of the corner of her mouth and ran down her chin. He could see bruises blossoming across her cheek. The worst of her injuries was her neck.

Around the edges of where the collar sat before, angry red welts bosomed. Her skin had blistered from the intense electric shocks that had passed through her body moments ago. With every passing moment, the injury seemed to get worse and worse.

"Bellamy." Clarke's voice was raspy, but it didn't waver in strength.

"I'm here." He wasn't too sure why he chose those specific words – it just felt right in the moment. He could barely peel his eyes away from her. _She was alive_.

"We won't forget this any time soon," Diyoza spat, bringing Bellamy back to the present. "I hope _she_ is worth it."

"She is." His voice never wavered and he never hesitated. It was true. No matter what came of this situation – her life was priceless. He could never live with himself if he knew he could save her, but failed.

He turned back to Clarke, locking eyes with her. He pushed down every thought and feeling he had in that moment – solely focusing on the woman in front of him. He would have time to process everything later. The most important thing now was getting her to safety.

Her lips were pressed tightly together and her face was contracted in pain. He might have been separated from her for the last several years, but _he knew her_. She was in more pain than he would wish on anyone. Gently, he reached forward, brushing his hand against her upper arm.

"Let's go home." He made the motion to wrap his arms under her legs and back, to carry her away. She clearly wasn't in any condition to be walking anywhere any time soon. Surprisingly, she shook her head.

"I can do this," she insisted, her voice strong. At Bellamy's look of confusion, she added under her breath, "I will not look weak in front of the enemy. I can walk."

Realization hit Bellamy. She wanted to be able to walk away on her own – showing them that they had not broken her. She possessed more strength and courage than they ever could – and she wanted to show them.

He felt an emotion rise in his chest – _pride_.

He was proud of the woman she had grown to be. Her resilience was astounding. Of course, she always possessed strength, but she seemed to exude it now more than ever.

Bellamy nodded his head and pushed himself back onto his knees. She took a deep breath, clamped her mouth shut tightly, and pushed off the ground.

She shook from the energy it took to lift her tired and sore body off of the grass. Her head spun and her vision swam, but she didn't give up. To anyone watching, she hoped they couldn't tell that she was struggling to stand up, never mind struggling to stay conscious.

She reached out for Bellamy – a touch that he returned without hesitation.

 _This was the first time they had touched since they said goodbye._

Bellamy's throat felt tight as he recalled that day, so many years ago. Even though he now knew she survived, he couldn't help but feel sadness over leaving her behind. He mourned her – and it still hadn't fully registered that she was alive. _She was here._

Once again, he pushed his thoughts away. Now was not the time.

He gently guided Clarke onto her feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steady her body. She looked paler than she had moments earlier. She swayed on her feet. Her body trembled.

Yet, she kept on.

Without a moment to waste, she threw her shoulders back and stepped forward. She began to walk towards the woods, barely relying on Bellamy to help her. Bellamy sent one final glare at Diyoza and McCreary. He knew their threats were not empty – Clarke was an example of that. Still, he regretted nothing. How could he? He accomplished his mission – he had helped save Clarke.

With each step, he could feel her growing more and more tired. She pressed tightly against him, using him almost as a crutch to keep from falling. Her feet moved sluggishly and dragged against the ground, making her stumble a few times. Still, she exuded such confidence and strength.

As soon as they had stepped into the forest and out of their line of sight, Clarke let out a breath and leaned completely against Bellamy, relying on him to keep her upright. They managed to walk for several more minutes before her legs gave out. Her knees buckled completely underneath her – her body was exhausted from the grueling torture she had to endure.

Instead of falling to the forest floor, Bellamy caught her and helped her to the ground gently. He rested her back against a nearby tree and lowered himself to his knees in front of her. Her head fell back against the tree, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Bellamy," she breathed. It was all that she could manage in her current state. His name was so familiar to her that it barely took any effort to say it. A small smile lifted the corners of her lips. "Are you real?"

"I'm here." _It was those words again._ It almost felt like he needed to say them as many times as possible – just to prove to himself that he made it back to her. He didn't fail her further. He didn't lose her. "I'm real."

He reached forward to stroke a piece of her blonde hair away from her sweat-covered face. They'd been here before – moments before they were separated.

She met him part way, pressing her face into his hands. Every single inch of her expression conveyed the hurt she was in, but _it didn't matter._

In that moment, nothing else mattered.

 _It was just them_.

"You came." Her words were slow and her voice raspy. She opened her eyes. For the first time in six years, their eyes connected. Sure, they had seen each other while surrounded by Eligius, but this was the first time that they had to _really_ look at each other.

"You're alive," he replied. Bellamy couldn't look anywhere except her eyes – he seemed to be lost in them. They were so familiar, yet so different. He guessed that everything about this situation was both familiar and different at the same time. He knew Earth, but he didn't know _this_ Earth. He knew enemies, but he didn't know _this_ enemy. He knew Clarke, but he didn't know _this_ Clarke.

He had spent years away from his best friend, his co-leader, and his head. It was time to get back. It was time to get back to her.

"Here." Bellamy finally gathered his senses and reached to unclip the canteen of water that hung on his hip. "You need water." Clarke's hand twitched from her side and her face was strained.

Bellamy didn't know too much about being electrocuted, but he knew enough from his time in the guard on the Ark. The water in the body would be practically sucked out, the body temperature would rise, the skin would burn, and muscles would be unresponsive.

Bellamy was defiantly not a doctor, but he was certain that Clarke was suffering the after effects of electrocution. He wasn't surprised. The collar that had hung around her neck mere minutes before was a weapon unlike anything he had ever seen.

She could barely keep her eyes open, never mind lift her arm to take the canteen offered. Bellamy didn't know how she managed to walk away on her own only moments before. His best guess was the adrenaline. Now that the adrenaline was leaving her system, she was left with overwhelming pain and exhaustion.

No matter how much time had passed, he would always remember the after effects of torture. He had seen it too many times to count. He had experienced pain and fought battles – he knew firsthand the after effects.

"I'll help." Bellamy scooted closer to Clarke – so close that their shoulders brushed against each other, and his free hand went around to support the back of her head. He lifted the canteen to her lips, tipping it back slowly. Water flowed to her lips and she drank eagerly. After a moment, he capped the canteen and hung it on his belt once again.

"Thank you." Her voice was stronger now. He nodded in response, his mind already preoccupied.

His eyes dropped down to her neck and he winced. His hand automatically came forward, moving over her injuries with a feather light touch. Clarke winced when his hands brushed against the damaged flesh. He pulled back immediately, not wanting to hurt her further.

"We need to get you medical attention." He had seen and dealt with many injuries before, but that felt like a lifetime ago. Her scanned her face once more, his heart breaking when he saw how much pain she was in. Tears were in her eyes, her lips were set in a thin line, sweat beaded across her forehead, she shook, and she was extremely pale. Under the moonlight, she almost looked translucent. His eyes fell away from her face, scanning the rest of her body for injuries. "You're bleeding!" His eyes zeroed in on her side, where black blood stained her clothing. He didn't see the wound at first, as the blood was camouflaged by her black shirt.

"Just a scratch." She let out a soft grunt as she brought her hand up to touch her side. She gasped and her eyes flew open in shock and pain when the collar of her jacket rubbed against her neck injury. Bellamy winced beside her. He could barely stand the sight of her in pain.

"Don't move," he told her. "I'll try to help you enough so we can get going." His eyes darted away from her, focusing on the direction they came from. He knew that if Eligius changed their minds, they could be surrounded in mere minutes. "We can't stay here too long." He pulled his jacket that he wore off and brought his attention back to her. "Can you take off your jacket by yourself or do you need help?" She cocked her eyebrow in question. Seeing her confusion, he provided an explanation. "Your jacket has a collar," he gestured to the material rubbing against her neck painfully. "Mine doesn't. This'll hopefully reduce your discomfort."

"I see." She grunted as she tried to lean forward to take off her jacket. Her side flared up in pain and her head screamed in protest. She gasped and fell back against the tree. She took a moment to compose herself before turning back to him. "Can you help me? Please?" Bellamy nodded his head. Once again, he shifted towards her. Before he reached out to touch the material, they locked eyes. She let out a weak smile before closing her eyes, trying to stop the world around her from spinning.

Bellamy reached forward and slowly pulled the jacket. Her limbs still didn't want to cooperate, but she tried to help him. With both of them working together, they managed to get the jacket off of her body without causing her too much discomfort. He examined the discarded piece of clothing, feeling as if cold hands had come and ran along his spine. His hairs stood on end as he seen the damage she had sustained. The jacket was ripped from where the debris had hit her and the fabric was stained black.

He leaned closer to examine the damage on her side. As he tried to determine the extent of the injury, Clarke spoke slowly.

"You came." Those two simple words shook Bellamy to his core. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if they hadn't landed on Earth moments ago.

"Of course, Clarke." He was shocked at just how easy her name flowed off of his tongue. He never thought he would be speaking to her again. They had been apart for years, yet her name rolled off the tongue like they had never been apart for a moment. "Of course I came." He pulled away from her injury, deciding that he wouldn't do anything until he had better lighting. She was stable enough to move, but he knew she would need treatment soon.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she said, her voice wavering. She looked like she was near tears. He wasn't too sure if it was from the pain, fear, exhaustion, or joy. Bellamy lifted his eyes to hers once more.

"I know." _I understand. I know the feeling._ "I thought I had lost you, too." Her lips lifted the slightest bit. They still understood each other. Bellamy lifted up his jacket. "Do you want to wear mine?" She nodded, suddenly feeling too tired to form a complete sentence.

"Yes."

Bellamy tried his best not to touch any of her injuries as he slipped the jacket on her. Still, he could hear her taking in sharp breaths as she moved. He knew that the movement was causing her pain. He wished he could take it all away. It broke his heart knowing that he was the one causing her to be in pain.

"I'm sorry." He winced as her face contorted in pain. "I'm sorry." He sat back on his legs, studying her. The jacket was large on her, but at least it wasn't rubbing against her neck anymore.

"Not your fault."

"I don't want to hurt you." Their eyes met once again.

"You aren't." Clarke tried to convey her emotions through her eyes. Even though she felt pain, she could never blame him for that. He hadn't caused any of the pain she was feeling. In fact, without Bellamy, she knew she would be feeling a lot more pain at the moment. She was thankful for all that he was doing for her.

Her hand moved the slightest bit, making its way to his face. Her touch was heavy and shaky, but he welcomed it nonetheless. Tears were brought to her eyes as she thought of everything that had happened in the last ten minutes.

"How can I help?" Bellamy's face looked broken when he noticed her tears, thinking they were from the pain she was in. "I can take the jacket off if its worse?"

"No." Clarke managed to shake her head. "There aren't from them." She tilted her head, gesturing in the direction of Eligius. "They're from this. Us. _You_." She wasn't too sure if she was making sense, but she hoped he understood what she was saying. She had just gotten so overwhelmed by everything.

He was alive. He was here. _Bellamy was here._ He saved her from _them_.

He still acted with such care. His touch was gentle and his voice was soothing. She was reminded of when the hundred first landed on Earth and the Grounders had used a virus to attack them. He had taken care of all of them – bringing water, turning people onto their sides, and wetting towels. He had so much care in his heart. She had been worried that if he ever returned to her, he would have been different and lost that part of himself. She should have known better. He wouldn't be Bellamy without the kindness and care he held in his heart.

In that moment, it hit Bellamy.

 _He was home._

It seemed to hit her too, just how _real_ this was. At the same moment, they moved together, tangling in each other's arms. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hers found their way to his waist, pulling their bodies flush together. He was careful not to disturb any of her injuries. He buried his nose in her hair and she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Bellamy was reminded of the last time they hugged – all of those years ago, back in Becca's lab. That hug had been filled with hurt and tears of worry. This hug was filled with hope, joy, and relief.

 _He was home._

"I've missed you," he mumbled into her hair. He could feel her smile into his neck.

"I missed you too, Bell. I never thought I would see you again." Her voice broke, clearly showing how much she missed him. They pulled away from the hug, but she refused to let go of him. The feeling was mutual – he didn't want to remove his hold on her either.

It felt as if this was all a dream – a terrible, wonderful, torturous dream. He didn't want it to end. He didn't want to let her go; he was scared if he did, he would never see her again. _But this wasn't a dream._ This was real.

He could tell she was getting tired. He didn't blame her. He only witnessed part of the tortured that she endured, he couldn't begin to imagine what she had experienced all day.

"Madi?" Her voice cracked and Bellamy was brought back to the present time. "She's okay?" Concern lined her features.

"She's fine. Actually, she's more than fine. She's amazing. You did a great job with her. You raised her well. She's just like you."

"Better," Clarke muttered, her eyelids fluttering. It looked like she was moments away from passing out. "I want her to be better." Bellamy cracked a crooked smile.

His good mood was taken away when he remembered exactly where they were. They were minutes away from Eligius and still very much in danger. He had many burning questions to ask. He wanted to spend hours with Clarke – talking to her, sharing their stories, and just _being_ with her.

But they weren't safe yet. She needed medical treatment and they needed to get back to their friends.

"We need to get going," Bellamy turned to face Clarke. Her eyes were partially closed and her breathing had slowed. She looked like she could've fallen asleep at any minute. She nodded her head and began to get up. "No. Don't move. You're injured." She mumbled something and nodded her head weakly. "I'm going to carry you. Is that okay?"

"Please do."

Fearing that they had not a moment to waste, Bellamy moved as quickly as he could. He hooked his arm under her knees and wrapped one behind her shoulders. In one swift movement, he was standing up with Clarke curled against his chest. Her eyes had fluttered closed and her forehead had smoothed out. She looked peaceful.

"Let's go home." She faintly nodded her head in agreement. Her cheek pressed against his chest. He could feel her clammy skin through the fabric of his shirt.

As Bellamy began to walk in the direction he knew the rover would be, he couldn't help but think _he's already home._

* * *

 **I found it quite difficult to write Clarke in this fic for some reason! I tried to keep a balance between her strength, but also include the pain she is in. She's a strong individual, but I don't think anyone could handle what she did without sustaining injuries and needing some assistance. I hope that makes sense! I really tried to capture the essence of her in this fic.**

 **Also, please note... I have no idea what happens when you are electrocuted. I researched, but I will admit that I probably got things wrong. If you have more knowledge in this area than I do, and you noticed an issue with my writing, please let me know! I'm always eager to learn.**

 **I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know your thoughts in a review!**


End file.
